Fred Barnes interviews the new governor of New Jersey whose blunt talk and tough policy prescriptions may avert fiscal disaster in the Garden State and bring about a renaissance. If he succeeds, Chris Christie may very well be a GOP Presidential front runner sometime in the future.

Sean Trende compares this year to 1974, when a string of Republican defeats in special elections was a harbinger of their disastrous performance that November. Of course, this year it is the Democrats who find themselves on the losing end.

A murder mystery in Washington, DC as a beloved urban school principal is found fatally shot in his home, his car and some other items missing, and no sign of forced entry. Could one of the troubled students he befriended and tried to help be the culprit? No matter who did it, the loss is great for a school system that, like so many of our urban schools, is struggling mightily against the forces of poverty, neglect, drug addiction and violence.

Democratic Governor John Lynch of New Hampshire says he will run for reelection to an unprecedented fourth consecutive term. In New Hampshire, terms for a governor run in two-year increments, so the number of years for Lynch would not be unusual by national standards, but would be for the Granite State. Lynch has, so far, been made of Teflon when it comes to the national anger and disappointment with Democrats in general, but things could change once he has an opponent standing alone against him.

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger faces yet another accusation of sexual assault although, once again, he will not face criminal charges. Counting the woman who says Big Ben raped her, that makes three.

In Massachusetts, some health insurance plans are dropping elite hospitals from their lists of approved providers due to the expense. Just another example of the real problem we face when dealing with health care, which is that costs are going up at a dramatic pace, and the health reform law does nothing about that problem, except make it worse.